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A review by journeyingjeff
Empress Dowager Cixi: The Concubine Who Launched Modern China by Jung Chang
4.0
Fascinating read about a historical figure I knew next to nothing about. I came across this book after reading Stephen R. Platt's Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom, a history of the Taiping Rebellion, which briefly describes the young concubine Cixi's coup d'etat after the death of the Xianfeng emporer. I was interested in learning more about her.
Cixi's life was full of intrigue and power plays and she effectively managed to rule China for nearly the entire period from 1861 to 1908. I noticed many parallels with the life of Elizabeth I of England, her political astuteness and her willingness to have foes executed, but only when they endangered her hold on power. However, I think the author might be prone to exaggerate Cixi's good qualities and responsibility for modernizing China. This positive depiction may result from a desire to counter the prevailing historical narrative about Cixi, which has been overwhelmingly negative. The author effectively explains the historical context for someone that doesn't have a lot of familiarity with Chinese history. An intriguing read!
Cixi's life was full of intrigue and power plays and she effectively managed to rule China for nearly the entire period from 1861 to 1908. I noticed many parallels with the life of Elizabeth I of England, her political astuteness and her willingness to have foes executed, but only when they endangered her hold on power. However, I think the author might be prone to exaggerate Cixi's good qualities and responsibility for modernizing China. This positive depiction may result from a desire to counter the prevailing historical narrative about Cixi, which has been overwhelmingly negative. The author effectively explains the historical context for someone that doesn't have a lot of familiarity with Chinese history. An intriguing read!